There were also three quilts for sale, $40 each. Two of them tempted me -- until I unfolded them and looked closely.
The 1930's Dresden Plate variation was beautifully pieced and hand-quilted. The worn/chewed spots dissuaded me.
The Lone Star was also beautifully pieced--look at the color gradation!--and quilted. Do you see the shadowing at the "1 o'clock" point? That was a big brown stain. The quilt had evidently been stored on a wooden shelf or, more likely, in a wooden blanket chest, with no barrier between the wood and the quilt.
Then there was this colorful scrappy quilt with embroidery where the patches join. The back is a not-coordinated bedsheet.
BTW, none of the quilts was labeled. :(
Here's what I *did* buy! It's an autograph book that belonged to Erma Gerlach in Kiel-Hassee, Germany, in "Kriegsjahr 1914-1915." That's "war year" (subsequent entries are dated 1916). Her friends had wonderful handwriting. I can't make out much of it at all (my language is French), and my husband's h.s./college German is pretty rusty. I will need to find a German-speaker (teacher? professor?) who can translate for me.
what a find! be sure and post the story when you have tracked it down....
ReplyDeleteHow cool. I've been to a couple of estate sales but never found quilts or machines. Maybe one day.
ReplyDeletelet me try. To where fate may guide you + think back to parents house + how father, mother day and night + so faithful protected you + see it as your child-duty + don't ever forget! It rhymes in german. She misspelled 'forget' according to meter ;-)
ReplyDeleteVery nice found.
Happy quilting! Laura